Vice-President Kashim Shettima says procurement reforms introduced by the federal government saved more than N1.1 trillion in 2025.
Shettima spoke on Friday at the 2026 retreat for federal permanent secretaries in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom state.
The retreat was organised by the office of the head of the civil service of the Federation and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
The vice-president, represented by Tunji Olaopa, chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, said the reforms are part of the Tinubu administration’s efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability and fiscal discipline in public spending.
“So far, 23 strategic initiatives and reforms aimed at improving transparency, accountability and fiscal discipline in Nigeria have been introduced,” he said.
“As at the last count, some of the reforms saved the federal government over N1.1 trillion in 2025 alone.”
Shettima said one of the reforms involved raising procurement approval thresholds, allowing contracts below N5 billion for goods and services and N10 billion for works to be handled by ministerial tender boards instead of the federal executive council (FEC).
He said every “road constructed, hospital equipped, school rehabilitated, agricultural intervention implemented and every digital platform deployed passed through the procurement process”.
The vice-president said the administration remains committed to reforming Nigeria’s procurement system in line with global best practices to improve governance, budget implementation, and service delivery.
On her part, Esther Walson-Jack, the head of the civil service of the federation, said procurement sits at the centre of governance because it links policy, budgeting, and service delivery.
“When procurement works well, government delivers. When procurement is delayed, weak or poorly managed, citizens feel the consequences,” she said.
Walson-Jack said permanent secretaries, as accounting officers and managers of procurement, have a serious responsibility for good governance and service delivery as they are expected to ensure that procurement processes are transparent, competitive, efficient and consistent with the Public Procurement Act and extant regulations.
Adebowale Adedokun, director-general of the BPP, described procurement as a key instrument of governance, saying it serves as the link between budget approval and service delivery.
He said the quality of procurement determines the quality of governance, as roads, hospitals, schools and security infrastructure are delivered through the procurement process.
BPP,
procurement reforms,
Vice-President Kashim Shettima,
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
